Various mechanical egg processing apparatuses are used to process avian eggs within a poultry hatchery facility. Such mechanical egg processing systems may include, for example, an egg injection apparatus for injecting a treatment substance into an egg, an egg transfer apparatus for transferring eggs, and an egg removal apparatus for removing selected eggs. Such apparatuses include a plurality of individual processing devices (e.g., injection tool, egg removal or transfer tool) conventionally designed to operate in conjunction with commercial egg carrier devices (so-called “flats”). Egg flats utilized in conjunction with such apparatuses typically contain an array of pockets that are configured to support a respective plurality of eggs in a generally upright or vertical orientation. Each pocket may contain a plurality of tabs that are configured to support a respective egg. Although effective in supporting eggs during transport, these support tabs can damage eggs during processing by the individual processing devices. The forces applied to an egg, particularly during an injection sequence, may push an egg downwardly against the support tabs with sufficient force to cause the egg to crack. As such, egg processing apparatuses may employ an egg support assembly capable of providing support to the eggs in the egg carrier during the processing sequence, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,470 to Gross et al. or PCT International Publication No. WO 2013/152970 to Van de Zande.
However, egg flats and the associated individual pockets thereof are arranged in many different shapes, sizes and geometric configurations, depending on the manufacturer. Accordingly, egg support assemblies must be customized such that the individual egg support portions (bushings or pedestals) thereof (i.e., the portions contacting the egg) can fit and ascend/descend within the individual pockets to contact and support the eggs. In this regard, the egg support bushings must be customized to cooperate with a particular egg flat configuration. Currently, Zoetis LLC (assignee of the present application) provides over twenty types of custom egg support bushings needed to cooperate with the various egg flats configurations used by its customers. Such customization of the egg support assemblies increases manufacturing costs since machining of the egg support portions is more cost effective than a molding process due to small volume needs, which makes molding processes an expensive and unrealistic option for manufacturing. Such customized solutions may also provide egg support bushings that are difficult and time-consuming to clean. Additionally, current egg support assemblies have drive mechanisms that may expend excessive amounts of energy, provide operational inefficiencies, and add additional costs, as used to lift the egg support assembly into contact with the eggs in the egg flat.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an egg support assembly and associated apparatus capable of supporting eggs in a simplified and cost effective manner while also improving the ease of maintenance of such an egg support assembly and apparatus, and further reducing customization associated therewith. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide an associated method that would simplify and facilitate improved support of eggs during a processing event. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus and associated method capable of providing an improved drive mechanism for an egg support assembly.